New Delhi [India], September 30 (ANI): Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes that the Three Lions should restore the position of their experienced stars in their ODI setup ahead of next year’s ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
England’s designated skipper, Jos Buttler, missed out on their recent white-all series against their arch-rival Australia.
Joe Root, who put in a shift during England’s Test summer, was rested from the ODI series. Test captain Ben Stokes has also indicated a potential return to the 50-over format.
In the absence of the established, experienced trio, England fielded a squad that featured youngsters. The T20I series ended on level terms at 1-1. In the five-match ODI series, the young England squad showed remarkable grit to bounce back from 2-0 to 2-2.
In a rain-curtailed series decider, Australia edged England to take the series with a 49-run victory by DLS method.
The remarkable performances of the youngsters have offered England plenty of options to explore while deciding their final squad for the ICC Champions Trophy.
However, Hussain feels that England should focus on assigning a designated spot for their experienced players before finalising their final team for the marquee event.
“Buttler comes back, Stokes has said if asked he will come back, and then there is Root,” said Hussain. They are brilliant white-ball players. They deserve the right to know what their position is – they are Joe Root and Ben Stokes. Do we want them back? That is the key decision McCullum and Buttler have to make,” Hussain said on Sky Sports.
While talking about the involvement of Stokes in the ODI team, the former England captain voices his concern regarding the workload of the dynamic all-rounder.
“Stokes, I am a bit worried about workload, and now he is a complete all-rounder if he comes back. He is a Test match captain and all-rounder, which is so important. You want to use him in as many Test matches as possible,” he added.
For Hussain, Root could be a crucial cog in England’s team for the next year’s extravaganza event. The 56-year-old expects the Pakistan surfaces to stick to their subcontinent nature and favour spinners. Hussain rooted for Root due to his ability to effortlessly negate the spin threat.
“Joe Root, when that collapse was happening [England slipped from 202-2 to 309 all out in the deciding ODI against Australia] he may have been, he would have been one, who would have been like, woah it is spinning now. We were hitting down the ground. We are going to have sweeps and reverse sweeps. Get our scores down a bit and go for 350 instead of 400,” he said.
“He would have used his nous. He is such a good player of spin. The Champions Trophy is in Pakistan, it will be played in spinning conditions, sub-continent, you would want Root around. I would have definitely had Root back in the side. Once you get those decisions out of the way then you fill the gaps. What you get from senior players is consistency. I would do the senior players first and then who has impressed me,” Hussain remarked.
Before trying to fill the gaps in their squad for the Champions Trophy, England will engage in Test cricket. The Ben Stokes-led side will travel to Pakistan for a three-match Test series, beginning on October 7 in Multan. (ANI)
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